The Environmental Protection Agency's calendar keeps turning. Auto manufacturers are on a deadline to raise their total mpgs. Most are pushing their engineers to come up with gas-sipping ICEs as well as alternative powertrains like electrics and hybrids. But in addition, they are also turning to lighter weight materials like carbon fiber. Though still extremely expensive, manufacturers and suppliers alike are looking at ways to make the product cheaper so it can go on vehicles of all prices. On Autoline This Week John McElroy welcomes three people from the carbon fiber world. Florian Schattenmann is the Global R&D Director for supplier Dow Chemical, Graham Henkel is the designer of the new Viper from Chrysler's SRT division while James Staargaard is the president of Plasan Carbon Composites.

Despite being one of the largest and most successful automotive suppliers in the world, most consumers only know the BorgWarner name from its connection to the Indianapolis 500. It has sponsored the winner's trophy since 1935. And despite the products it does produce for racing, namely its turbo systems, this company founded in the 19th century produces high-tech powertrain components along with a variety of other automotive products for cars across the globe. Joining John McElroy on Autoline This Week is James Verrier, the company's current President and Chief Operating Office. Drew Winter from WardsAuto.com and Joe Szczesy of the Oakland Press join in on the discussion.

Many believe the biggest news of 1982 was the Falklands War invasion while in business the DeLorean Motor Car Company hit the brakes for the last time. Meanwhile, the big winner at the movies was the overachieving period film “Chariots of Fire.” Those stories grabbed the headlines but in a rural hamlet near central Ohio, Honda was quietly opening the first Japanese auto factory on U.S. soil. It’s been 30 years since those doors opened and the factory is not only still going strong but continues to grow and expand. This week on Autoline, John McElroy goes on-the-road to Marysville, Ohio to visit this historic plant and see what it has meant to not only Honda for the last 30 years, but the community as well.

Cash for Clunkers may have been great for the manufacturers at the time, but few realized the long term impact it would have on the used car market. Even today – close to four years later – the prices for good used cars are still rocketing skyward. Whether they come from the auto auctions, trade-ins or even Internet sites, thanks to the combination of Clunker destruction and a stagnate economy, the used market continues to be a hot commodity. And John McElroy has the topic covered with his Autoline panel including: Ricky Beggs from the Internet site Black Book, Ron MacEachern, the General Manager from the Detroit area dealership the Suburban Collection and Steve Finlay from WardsAuto.com

AM Radio was king in the car for nearly 50 years. But since the 70s, its evolution has been fast and furious. First FM was all the rage followed by music on 8 Track and Cassette tapes. It wasn’t long before CDs started flooding the front seat and now, well you know, anything goes. Today’s Multi Media Interface can offer the driver everything from Satellite Radio Services to Navigation to even the Internet without breaking a sweat, but that’s just the tip of the chip. On Autoline This Week, John McElroy talks with three experts in audio electronics to hear first hand about the latest and greatest that they’re offering the consumer. Joining John are Marios Zenios, the head of Chrysler’s Uconnect Systems, Mike Hichme, GM’s Infotainment Design Manager and Allen Kudla from Panasonic Automotive.

You may be buying your car from the biggest auto dealer in the country and not even know it. AutoNation has over 200 dealerships selling cars under 18 different local brands around the USA. From luxury to economy, from Sacramento to Orlando, this 16-year old corporation has the country blanketed with cars so if there’s any one person who has a good sense of where the retail is heading in this industry it’s Mike Jackson. On Autoline This Week the Chairman & CEO of AutoNation joins John McElroy to share his views on the state of the auto industry and where it goes from here.

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They arrived with such fanfare a couple years back, that you’d have thought we’d all be driving electrics by now but that’s not the case. In fact, even today some manufacturers are reticent to even offer an electric option. But that hasn’t stopped everyone from the biggest OEMs to the single car startups from designing and building all-electric cars. On Autoline This Week John McElroy and his panel look at the world of electric cars, if there’s a want, a need or a business case to be made for their existence. Joining John in studio is Csaba Csere, the former Editor-in-Chief of Car & Driver magazine and Jim Hall of 2953 Analytics.

Heavy steel, hard plastic and thick rubber used to dominate an automaker’s assembly line. But these days those elements have been replaced by high strength, lighter weight cousins of the earlier versions along with newer materials, like aluminum. On this week’s Autoline, John McElroy introduces you to his panel of materials experts who talk about how their latest products are impacting the auto industry. Joining John on his panel are Rose Ryntz from IAC talking about the new softer, stronger plastics, Blake Zuidema from steel manufacturer ArcelorMittal discussing today’s high strength steel and Ganesh Panneer from Novelis, who provides lightweight aluminum to many auto manufacturers.

Scott Painter is the essence of the 21st century entrepreneur. Having started several dot-coms since his days at Berkley, he turned his sights to the auto industry with TrueCar.com, an attempt to educate the automotive consumer with data and pricing. And that’s where all the trouble began. On Autoline This Week, John McElroy welcomes Scott Painter to the studio to talk about how TrueCar is attempting to change the auto buying customer experience. John’s panel of industry experts includes Steve Finlay from WardsAuto.com and Joe White from the Wall Street Journal.

When GM product guru Bob Lutz retired, many automotive insiders wondered what would happen to the company’s revived product line and, more importantly, who would fill those big shoes. It turns out they didn’t have to look very hard. GM veteran Mary Barra was appointed Senior Vice President of Global Product Development soon after and the stunning products have kept rolling off the line. This week on her first visit to the Autoline studios host John McElroy is joined by panelists Michelle Krebs from Edmunds.com and Jeff Bennett from the Wall Street Journal to talk to Ms. Barra about the company and her vision for future GM products.

You may only know the company as the one that uses hamsters in its ads but with 24 straight months of U.S. sales records as well critically-acclaimed product, it’s not surprising that South Korea’s Kia is the least known success story in the car industry. Well, joining John McElroy on Autoline This Week to correct that are the men who can talk, first hand, about Kia’s slow and steady growth in the American market. Tom Loveless is Kia Motor America’s vice president of sales and Michael Sprague is its executive VP of marketing (aka., the man responsible for green lighting the hamsters). Also joining John is Brent Snavely from the Detroit Free Press.

Cash for Clunkers may have been great for the manufacturers at the time, but few realized the long term impact it would have on the used car market. Even today – close to four years later – the prices for good used cars are still rocketing skyward. Whether they come from the auto auctions, trade-ins or even Internet sites, thanks to the combination of Clunker destruction and a stagnate economy, the used market continues to be a hot commodity. And John McElroy has the topic covered with his Autoline panel including: Ricky Beggs from the Internet site Black Book, Ron MacEachern, the General Manager from the Detroit area dealership the Suburban Collection and Steve Finlay from WardsAuto.com

AM Radio was king in the car for nearly 50 years. But since the 70s, its evolution has been fast and furious. First FM was all the rage followed by music on 8 Track and Cassette tapes. It wasn’t long before CDs started flooding the front seat and now, well you know, anything goes. Today’s Multi Media Interface can offer the driver everything from Satellite Radio Services to Navigation to even the Internet without breaking a sweat, but that’s just the tip of the chip. On Autoline This Week, John McElroy talks with three experts in audio electronics to hear first hand about the latest and greatest that they’re offering the consumer. Joining John are Marios Zenios, the head of Chrysler’s Uconnect Systems, Mike Hichme, GM’s Infotainment Design Manager and Allen Kudla from Panasonic Automotive.

It used to be a Cadillac world. Recognized as the top luxury car, its name became synonymous with the best of anything. But then came the 1980s with production issues, an aging demographic and worse, competition from around the world. Suddenly, as Eric Burdon and The Animals sang, their best just wasn’t good enough. For 5, 10, 20 years, the brand wavered until the latest models have shown a bit of life. The man in charge of restoring the luxury nameplate to the top is Don Butler, VP of Global Marketing for Cadillac. He is John McElroy’s special guest on Autoline This Week. Joining the panel are Tim Higgins from Bloomberg and Aaron Bragman from IHS Automotive.

A few years ago many believed ethanol was the answer to our fuel questions. There was refining capacity, plenty of corn and OEM commitment with their Flex Fuel option. Fast forward to 2012 and it’s a totally different landscape. There are more and more small cars on the road being powered by 40+mpg engines. But just as important, we’re facing the effects of the worst drought in 50 years. In fact, the USDA says the corn yield may come in at 1995 levels, which is worse than predicted. On Autoline This Week John McElroy talks to an expert panel for an in-depth look at the ethanol issue and see where we go from here. Joining John are Candace Wheeler from General Motors, James Frusti of Chrysler and Professor Bruce Dale from Michigan State University.

Automakers protect their secrets like the U.S. Army guards Fort Knox. And the biggest secrets they have are their future designs. That’s why few people and fewer cameras are granted access to the inner sanctum of automotive design studios. So it is with great pleasure that John McElroy and the Autoline crew take you inside one of the most historic buildings in the auto industry, as well as one of the toughest to gain admittance, General Motors Design. Global Design Chief Ed Welburn talks with John and Peter De Lorenzo of the Autoextremist.com before giving them a behind-the-scenes tour through this top secret facility.

In 1963 Avis Rent-a-Car came up with iconic “We Try Harder” slogan, which it has carried ever since. But it also seems to be the perfect phrase to describe the current race for the number one selling car in America. After years of playing not just second but third fiddle to the Toyota Camry & the Honda Accord, Nissan has unveiled its striking new Altima and believes this car is prepared to finally challenge that number one slot. That’s why John McElroy & Autoline go on-the-road this week to Nashville, Tennessee to visit the home of Nissan Americas and to talk with the team in charge of taking Altima to #1.

Hidden down a long driveway behind two locked gates and four garage doors is the private car collection of one of the most respected “car guys” in history, Bob Lutz. Rarely do journalists get a glimpse of these cars let alone an exclusive tour as he gave Autoline. So join host John McElroy and Peter De Lorenzo of the Autoextremist.com as “Maximum Bob” gives them a look at some of his prized cars including a 1934 LaSalle, his unique ‘70s Swiss-made Monteverdi and even the 1952 Aston Martin DB2 he found completely by accident a few years ago which originally belonged to his father. Exotic cars, rare motorcycles and even collector bikes all from the garage of Bob Lutz this week on Autoline.

There’s been a product renaissance at Ford the last few years, thanks in large part to Global Product Chief, and 33-year veteran of the company, Derrick Kuzak. But when Kuzak announced he was retiring earlier this year it didn’t take Ford long to find his replacement. Raj Nair started with the company in 1987 and has worked all over the world in various capacities. Now as he takes control of the product wheel for Ford we’ll see if he can keep the momentum going. This week he joins host John McElroy and panelists Tony Swan from Heart Magazines and Mark Phelan of the Detroit Free Press as our guest on Autoline This Week.

Pick up any car magazines and you’ll find lists. Lists for best car, lists for worst MPGs, lists for most collectible and so on. But the one list that Pulitzer Prize-winning author Paul Ingrassia could not find is the subject of his new book “Engines of Change.” Mr. Ingrassia looked at our car culture and has come up with a list of vehicles and how they have impacted our entire American society. John McElroy leads a fascinating discussion with Mr. Ingrassia and panelists Todd Lassa from Motor Trend & Drew Winter from WardsAuto.com.

Running a car company in Europe is decidedly different than in America. Especially if you’re on the Board which makes all the big decisions. Join John McElroy and his guest Dr. Walther Kiep, the longest serving member of Volkswagen’s Supervisory Board, for an inside look at his years helping run this mega-automaker as he promotes his recollections of a life in politics and business in his new book “Bridge Builder.” Joining John on his panel are Christina Rogers of Automotive News and Mike Ramsey from the Wall Street Journal.

How to break the ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) ceiling? Some manufacturers don’t think we need to and continue to upgrade their current crop of engines. But then there are companies like Nissan-Renault, whose leader Carlos Ghosn, gave the world the all-electric Leaf and is continuing down that path.

As Senior VP in charge of Research & Development for Nissan Americas, Carla Bailo has to walk a delicate line -- continue to provide the company with ICE vehicles all while working with Japan to develop those ground-breaking high mileage electric cars.

Joining host John McElroy and Ms. Bailo on this week’s Autoline are Brent Snavley from the Detroit Free Press and Lindsay Brooke with Automotive Engineering International.

It’s tough to get to the top of the auto industry, but it’s especially hard for female executives. That’s why even today the culture continues to be male-dominated. So with more and more women involved in the industry how do the experts see them breaking through the Sunroof Ceiling and eventually running a car company or some of the top suppliers. Joining John McElroy on Autoline This Week to discuss the topic are three executives with personal knowledge of the struggle. Jeneanne Hanley is vice president of Lear Corporation while Colleen Haley is the Executive VP of Yazaki and Terry Barclay is the president & CEO of Inforum, a professional women’s alliance.

We buy brands. Sure, there are those consumers who diligently search out the best product or deal, but for the most part, Americans love their brands. Especially when it comes to cars. But as the competition continues to get tougher, how are car companies caring for those brands? On Autoline This Week John McElroy is joined by a panel of marketing experts who explore the provocative questions: are some automakers deluding their brands by removing the essence that made it special, or are their marketing departments delusional believing everything is just fine and they don’t need any TLC. Joining John with insight on those topics and more are Christie Nordhielm, Marketing Professor from the University of Michigan, Peter De Lorenzo, Editor-in-Chief of Autoextremist.com and Michael Robinet an analyst with IHS Automotive.

Back in 5th grade science class we all learned what happens when a snake molts -- it loses its skin, becoming in-essence an all-new serpent. That’s kind of what’s been going on over at Chrysler the last few years with Viper. Once Dodge’s proud ruler of the performance road -- nearly lost amid the financial turmoil -- has been reborn under the Street & Racing Technology brand, is now ready to take on the competition with the new 2012 model. Our special guest on Autoline This Week to discuss Viper, the SRT brand as well as Dodge Design itself is the man in charge of all three, Ralph Gilles. Joining John McElroy on his panel are Scott Burgess of AOL Autos and Chris Paukert of Autoblog.com.

There are more cars on the road getting 40 miles per gallon than ever before. Partly due to new CAFE standards and driven by the engineers at OEMs and their suppliers, consumers now have a number of gas-saving powertrains to choose from today. Whether it’s the new ICEs, hybrids, electrics or a plug-in version like the Volt, we’ve never had more fuel efficient transportation that didn’t walk on four legs. On Autoline This Week John McElroy talks to a panel of powertrain experts about today’s advancements and what will be driving us in the near future and beyond. Joining John are Christopher Thomas from BorgWarner’s Advanced Engineering Group, Roger Clark from GM’s Energy Center, and Chrysler Powertrain VP Dr. Mircea Gradu.

During any race there’s always that one point where you evaluate where you are in the pack and what it’s going to take to get to the finish line. That’s what John McElroy and his panel do on Autoline this week for the 2013 North American Car & Truck of the Year candidates. Joining him to discuss cars like the Acura ILX, Cadillac’s XTS and the all-new Nissan Altima are fellow NACTOY jurors Mark Phelan of the Detroit Free Press and Paul Eisenstein from The Detroit Bureau.

In 1963 Avis Rent-a-Car came up with iconic “We Try Harder” slogan, which it has carried ever since. But it also seems to be the perfect phrase to describe the current race for the number one selling car in America. After years of playing not just second but third fiddle to the Toyota Camry & the Honda Accord, Nissan has unveiled its striking new Altima and believes this car is prepared to finally challenge that number one slot. That’s why John McElroy & Autoline go on-the-road this week to Nashville, Tennessee to visit the home of Nissan Americas and to talk with the team in charge of taking Altima to #1.

Pick up any car magazines and you’ll find lists. Lists for best car, lists for worst MPGs, lists for most collectible and so on. But the one list that Pulitzer Prize-winning author Paul Ingrassia could not find is the subject of his new book “Engines of Change.” Mr. Ingrassia looked at our car culture and has come up with a list of vehicles and how they have impacted our entire American society. John McElroy leads a fascinating discussion with Mr. Ingrassia and panelists Todd Lassa from Motor Trend & Drew Winter from WardsAuto.com.

It won nearly every serious automotive award and had a huge carbon-free footprint of positive reviews from critics and consumers alike. So if that’s the case, why is the Volt GM’s slowest selling product? More than that, why does there seem to be such a negative charge to the car? People across the country who have never even seen a Volt let alone driven this engineering marvel have nothing good to say about it, confounding both auto analysts and company executives

On Autoline This Week John McElroy and his panel look at the strange state of GM’s engineering masterpiece the Volt. Joining John on the panel are Joe White of the Wall Street Journal, Manny Lopez from the Michigan Capitol Confidential and Gary Witzenburg an auto journalist and former engineer on GM’s original electric project, the EV1.

Ford Motor Company was in trouble even before that breathless September four years ago that sent the world economy searching for financial oxygen. But armed with a bold strategy and solid leadership, Ford survived the crisis, steering clear of both bankruptcy and government loans. And then as it released some of the new products it had in the pipeline, suddenly the company started making money and the blue oval was back in the black in a big way.

That’s the story of how Alan Mulally and his team brought Ford back from the brink as told in the new book “American Icon.” Bryce Hoffman of The Detroit News spent two years engrossed in the culture that Henry Ford built and Alan Mulally arguably saved.

On Autoline This Week, John McElroy talks to Mr. Hoffman about “American Icon” and is joined in the discussion by Keith Naughton from Bloomberg News and Jim Hall from 2953 Analytics.

As more and more of those alternatively-powered vehicles hit the streets around America, the potential legal issues grow. We’ve already seen batteries burst into flames so who knows what lies ahead with hybrids, pure electrics, hydrogen or natural gas vehicles? Manufacturers are keeping a close eye on the situation within not only their research and development departments, but legal ones as well. Joining John McElroy to talk about these potentially explosive issues is an expert panel including, Fred Fresard from the suburban Detroit law firm Dykema, automotive consultant Thomas Livernois and Mike Ramsey from the Wall Street Journal.

Running a car company in Europe is decidedly different than in America. Especially if you’re on the Board which makes all the big decisions. Join John McElroy and his guest Dr. Walther Kiep, the longest serving member of Volkswagen’s Supervisory Board, for an inside look at his years helping run this mega-automaker as he promotes his recollections of a life in politics and business in his new book “Bridge Builder.” Joining John on his panel are Christina Rogers of Automotive News and Mike Ramsey from the Wall Street Journal.

Both boardrooms and government agencies are guiding design teams to create the vehicles of tomorrow. But how you achieve cost-savings and meet standards all in a slick package remains the (insert outrageous cost projection amount here) question.

On Autoline This Week John McElroy brings together a cutting-edge panel of auto experts who are doing just that on the inside with interiors. Klaus Busse sees it from the OEM side as Head of Chrysler Group Interior Design. Meanwhile, representing the supplier community are Fiona Doskocz with Benecke-Kaliko and Gerald Winslow, VP of Sales & Marketing for InfiChem Polymers LLC.

Just a few short decades ago, the only way to get information on a new car was to go to a newsstand or go to a dealership. Since then, as consumers have learned how to use the maturing internet, the number of car-buying options have exploded. One of the newest on the web is TrueCar out of California. Joining John McElroy on Autoline This Week is Larry Dominique, former Vice President with Nissan, who signed on with TrueCar to help challenge the competition like Edmunds. Included on this week’s panel are Craig Trudell from Bloomberg News and Steve Finlay of WardsAuto Dealer Business.

How to break the ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) ceiling? Some manufacturers don’t think we need to and continue to upgrade their current crop of engines. But then there are companies like Nissan-Renault, whose leader Carlos Ghosn, gave the world the all-electric Leaf and is continuing down that path.

As Senior VP in charge of Research & Development for Nissan Americas, Carla Bailo has to walk a delicate line -- continue to provide the company with ICE vehicles all while working with Japan to develop those ground-breaking high mileage electric cars.

Joining host John McElroy and Ms. Bailo on this week’s Autoline are Brent Snavley from the Detroit Free Press and Lindsay Brooke with Automotive Engineering International.

We all know Manhattan for its Wall Street institutions, Broadway musicals and idyllic Central Park, however, let’s not forget about transportation. Even though the city has perhaps the best public subway & bus systems, cars are very important in New York’s daily routine. And we don’t mean just those yellow ones with the meters.

Joining John McElroy from the shadow of Times Square to talk about the Big Apple and its unique relationship with the auto industry is Jamie Lincoln Kitman from GQ, Bank of America analyst John Murphy and Joe Phillipi with AutoTrends Consulting.

It won nearly every serious automotive award and had a huge carbon-free footprint of positive reviews from critics and consumers alike. So if that’s the case, why is the Volt GM’s slowest selling product? More than that, why does there seem to be such a negative charge to the car? People across the country who have never even seen a Volt let alone driven this engineering marvel have nothing good to say about it, confounding both auto analysts and company executives

On Autoline This Week John McElroy and his panel look at the strange state of GM’s engineering masterpiece the Volt. Joining John on the panel are Joe White of the Wall Street Journal, Manny Lopez from the Michigan Capitol Confidential and Gary Witzenburg an auto journalist and former engineer on GM’s original electric project, the EV1.

The word on the street is the economy is getting better. And we mean “on the street” literally with new car sales leading the way. But how is this happening in the middle of a slow recovery? Are the manufacturers doing something special to move metal or is it simply that the 2008 recession caused such a large pent up demand for new vehicles that consumers couldn’t wait any longer?

The man with answers to these questions and more joins John McElroy on Autoline This Week. Jeremy Anwyl is the Vice Chairman of Edmunds.com, the automotive do-all website. He joins John and his panelists, Edward Lapham of Automotive News and Steve Finlay from WardsAuto.com to talk about the state of automotive retail and more.

Washington, D.C. has been leading a double life of late. Not only is it the American Capitol but it seems to have usurped the title of the Motor City from Detroit as well. With federal loans to automakers, Car Czars and CAFE requirements, there’s been an extraordinary amount of auto activity in the District the last few years.

That’s one of the reasons that Autoline visited our nation’s capitol earlier this year to talk autos with a variety of influencers. Join John McElroy on this week’s show as he speaks with Phil Murtaugh from CODA Automotive, Roland Hwang of the Natural Resources Defense Council, Dave Zukchowski from Hyundai Motor America and Margo Oge of the Environmental Protection Agency.

Ford Motor Company was in trouble even before that breathless September four years ago that sent the world economy searching for financial oxygen. But armed with a bold strategy and solid leadership, Ford survived the crisis, steering clear of both bankruptcy and government loans. And then as it released some of the new products it had in the pipeline, suddenly the company started making money and the blue oval was back in the black in a big way.

That’s the story of how Alan Mulally and his team brought Ford back from the brink as told in the new book “American Icon.” Bryce Hoffman of The Detroit News spent two years engrossed in the culture that Henry Ford built and Alan Mulally arguably saved.

On Autoline This Week, John McElroy talks to Mr. Hoffman about “American Icon” and is joined in the discussion by Keith Naughton from Bloomberg News and Jim Hall from 2953 Analytics.

National Rifle Association members are famous for their passionate slogan “I’ll give you my gun when you take it from my cold, dead hands.” Well, slogans are great but in the end they’re only words. Just ask those American car dealers who, over the last few years, had their franchises unceremoniously ripped from their very live hands and were powerless to stop it.

On Autoline This Week John McElroy talks to mega dealer and author Tammy Darvish about her book “Outraged – How Detroit and the Wall Street Car Czars Killed the American Dream” as well as two of her fellow dealers – one former & one still fighting – as they discuss what it’s like to have corporate America try to deal independent business owners a death blow.

China is a communist country with capitalist tastes and the money in the bank to prove it. That’s why nearly all Western automotive manufacturers are now in the country importing, building and selling cars. But despite all this economic attention, Chinese consumers are still a mystery to many in the auto industry. Thank goodness for men like Michael Dunne who packed up and moved to China some 25 years ago. Over that quarter century this automotive consultant has learned plenty about China, its people and manufacturers like General Motors who brought its products east early on. This week on Autoline Michael Dunne joins John McElroy, Sharon Terlep of the Wall Street Journal and David Welch of Bloomberg BusinessWeek to talk about his book “American Wheels, Chinese Roads” and the exploding Chinese automotive market.

Cadillac has long been known as the Standard of the World when it comes to luxury, but especially cars. However, no matter how good the product, even standards can hit on hard times which is what happened to the brand when it nearly closed its doors in the 1930s. Luckily it was saved by a group of men who, at that time, couldn’t even officially buy the car. On Autoline This Week join host John McElroy, Economic Historian John Steele Gordon, Photographer Bill Gaskins and Blues musician Johnnie Basset for a provocative discussion on how African-American men saved the Cadillac brand.

Guests

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Ray LaHood, U.S. Secretary of Transportation. Topic: Interview with the U.S. Secretary of Transportation.

Four years ago he was a one of 435, just a seven-term Congressman from a sleepy section of western Illinois. But since then life has been a bit harried to say the least. When Representative Ray LaHood joined the Obama Administration as the 16th Secretary of the Transportation in January 2009 little did he know that he would be presiding over the most dramatic time in the American auto industry since Henry Ford drove his first car around Detroit. From bankruptcies to bailouts to batteries driving green vehicles, his department oversees everything we drive or ride in on the ground or on the water, as well as divisions like the FAA, the FHA and NHSTA to name three.

This week on Autoline from the floor of the Washington Auto Show, John McElroy welcomes Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood for an exclusive one-on-one interview on everything automotive and more.

Children do it out of spite when they don't get their way. They may turn a different color for a bit but the good news is it usually doesn't last very long. However, when economists hold their collective breath that's a bit more mysterious. Being an inexact science, the answer is open for interpretation -- a conservative economist sees it one way while a liberal economist sees it another. There is no agreed avenue to prosperity which is unfortunate especially for those whose business it is to watch the auto industry. Unemployment spikes to near record levels and lo and behold auto sales rise. Huh? It's not supposed to happen that way. Maybe it's time to break out the emergency tea leaves.

So as Autoline prepares to examine the automotive outlook in 2012, instead of those tea leaves, John McElroy turns to three top professionals in the auto industry to take a look at what they believe is going to happen around the globe. Joining his panel this week are the Chief Economists from Ford, Ellen Hughes-Cromwick, and her counterpart at General Motors Mustafa Mohatarem along with Charles Chesbrough, IHS Automotive's Senior Principal Economist.

It was a masterwork in the making that suddenly became the Rip Van Winkle of records. That project was Beach Boy Brian Wilson's 1967 composition "Smile" which was finally released just a few years ago. Given the global economy of late, it’s not surprising that car shows have endeared a similar soporific stage. With the auto industry riding a strong wave of creativity and sales throughout the decade, suddenly the 2008 economic meltdown shook the industry to the core -- something that not even auto shows could avoid. Iconic showcases like the North American International Auto Show became mere shadows of what they were just a few years earlier. While some manufacturers offered striped down exhibits, others didn't show up at all. But fast forward three years to the 2012 show where the NAIAS is once again at the top of its game and "Smile" is what manufacturers and the world press were both doing as they as they viewed all the new product.

Joining John McElroy on Autoline This Week from the floor of the 2012 Detroit Auto Show are five auto executives who are all smiles indeed. John Maloney is the CEO of Volvo of North America, Klaus Busse the Head of Interior Design at Chrysler, Fred Diaz is the president and CEO of RAM Brand, Ludwig Willisch is the new president of BMW North America, and Max Wolff the Director of Design at Lincoln.

It was a masterwork in the making that suddenly became the Rip Van Winkle of records. That project was Beach Boy Brian Wilson's 1967 composition "Smile" which was finally released just a few years ago. Given the global economy of late, It's not surprising that car shows have endeared a similar soporific stage. With the auto industry riding a strong wave of creativity and sales throughout the decade, suddenly the 2008 economic meltdown shook the industry to the core -- something that not even auto shows could avoid. Iconic showcases like the North American International Auto Show became mere shadows of what they were just a few years earlier. While some manufacturers offered striped down exhibits, others didn't show up at all. But fast forward three years to the 2012 show where the NAIAS is once again at the top of its game and "Smile" is what manufacturers and the world press were doing as they viewed all the new product.

Joining John McElroy on Autoline This Week from the floor of the 2012 Detroit Auto Show are three auto executives who are all smiles indeed. Jim Farley is the Group Vice President of Global Marketing for Ford which has been on a roll with its EcoBoost technology, Reid Bigland is the president & CEO of the Dodge Brand which unveiled its hot new Dodge Dart at the show and Mary Barra, GM's Senior VP of Global Product Development whose products have helped the company regain the title as the world's #1 automaker.

National Rifle Association members are famous for their passionate slogan “I’ll give you my gun when you take it from my cold, dead hands.” Well, slogans are great but in the end they’re only words. Just ask those American car dealers who, over the last few years, had their franchises unceremoniously ripped from their very live hands and were powerless to stop it.

On Autoline This Week John McElroy talks to mega dealer and author Tammy Darvish about her book “Outraged – How Detroit and the Wall Street Car Czars Killed the American Dream” as well as two of her fellow dealers – one former & one still fighting – as they discuss what it’s like to have corporate America try to deal independent business owners a death blow.

China is a communist country with capitalist tastes and the money in the bank to prove it. That’s why nearly all Western automotive manufacturers are now in the country importing, building and selling cars. But despite all this economic attention, Chinese consumers are still a mystery to many in the auto industry. Thank goodness for men like Michael Dunne who packed up and moved to China some 25 years ago. Over that quarter century this automotive consultant has learned plenty about China, its people and manufacturers like General Motors who brought its products east early on. This week on Autoline Michael Dunne joins John McElroy, Sharon Terlep of the Wall Street Journal and David Welch of Bloomberg BusinessWeek to talk about his book “American Wheels, Chinese Roads” and the exploding Chinese automotive market.

Cadillac has long been known as the Standard of the World when it comes to luxury, but especially cars. However, no matter how good the product, even standards can hit on hard times which is what happened to the brand when it nearly closed its doors in the 1930s. Luckily it was saved by a group of men who, at that time, couldn’t even officially buy the car. On Autoline This Week join host John McElroy, Economic Historian John Steele Gordon, Photographer Bill Gaskins and Blues musician Johnnie Basset for a provocative discussion on how African-American men saved the Cadillac brand.

About the same time the great Tina Turner made the phrase “Simply the Best” household words, a group known as NACTOY was creating its own “best.” But this one – built by 50 veteran automotive journalists -- was a list of the top cars and trucks released in North America that year. Since then, every December that jury narrows its list to three candidates and prepares to crown the winner of the North American Car & Truck of the Year at Detroit’s International Auto Show in January. On this week’s Autoline, founding member John McElroy is joined by two of his NACTOY colleagues to talk about the top trucks, SUVs & Crossovers of the year and to predict the winner of this year’s North American Truck of the Year.